DRAFT Director-General’s remarks for the
International Day of Yoga,
21 June 2015
 Your Excellency Ms. Margaret Kenyatta, First Lady
of the Republic of Kenya,
 Your Excellency Mr. Yogeshwar Varma, High
Commissioner of India,
 Excellencies, Ambassadors and High
Commissioners,
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 UN Colleagues,
 Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased to welcome you to the United Nations
Office at Nairobi on this first-ever International Day
of Yoga. It is an honour to be with you to celebrate
this Day.
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I would like to especially thank the First Lady for
gracing us with her presence today. The First Lady’s
participation and the [PLEASE SELECT APPROPRIATE
WORD DEPENDING ON NUMBER OF PEOPLE
ATTENDING: large/good/impressive/sizable] turn-out
for this event are proof that Yoga is a very relevant
practice in the lives of so many people, in Kenya and
around the world.
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When the United Nations General Assembly last year
adopted the resolution proclaiming 21 June as the
International Day of Yoga, it stressed the importance
of individuals and populations making healthier
choices and following lifestyle patterns that are
devoid of excesses of all kinds.
The General Assembly also emphasized the need to
exchange best practices from around the world to
promote global health. This celebration today is very
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much in line with the spirit of the General Assembly
resolution.
The presentations we will hear this morning from
learned practitioners and instructors will help us to
better appreciate the benefits of Yoga. The
celebration will also raise awareness of how this
ancient tradition can contribute to global health as a
long-term development objective of the United
Nations.
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All of us can contribute to building a healthier world,
through our individual lifestyle choices and our daily
actions – at home, in our schools, our workplaces,
and, yes, on our Yoga mats.
I wish to thank the High Commission of India for
organizing this celebration, in collaboration with our
UN Information Center, and for choosing UNON as
the venue for this inaugural commemoration.
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Today’s celebration reminds us that this beautiful
compound is not just for UN staff members. This
campus belongs to all of us, all of you, as members of
the United Nations family and as global citizens. I am
very happy whenever the compound is used for such
worthwhile events.
Thank you again for coming today.
I now have the distinct honour of delivering the
message of the Secretary-General on the occasion of
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the first International Day of Yoga, which reads of
follows:
“During a visit to India this year, I had the opportunity
to practice yoga with one of my senior advisors.
Although he happened to be a son of the country, I
might equally have done the same with many other
colleagues from different parts of the world. Yoga is
an ancient discipline from a traditional setting that
has grown in popularity to be enjoyed by
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practitioners in every region. By proclaiming 21 June
as the International Day of Yoga, the General
Assembly has recognized the holistic benefits of this
timeless practice and its inherent compatibility with
the principles and values of the United Nations.
Yoga offers a simple, accessible and inclusive means
to promote physical and spiritual health and wellbeing. It promotes respect for one’s fellow human
beings and for the planet we share. And yoga does
not discriminate; to varying degrees, all people can
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practice, regardless of their relative strength, age or
ability.
I discovered this for myself on trying to do my first
asana, a tree pose suited to beginners. It took a
moment for me to gain my balance but once I did, I
appreciated the simple sense of satisfaction that yoga
can bring.
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On this first-ever International Day of Yoga, let us see
the benefits of this practice in terms of individual
well-being as well as our collective efforts to improve
public health, promote peaceful relations and usher
in a life of dignity for all.”
End of quote.
Thank you for your kind attention.
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